Taiaiake Alfred

Taiaiake is from Kahnawá:ke in the Mohawk Nation. He is a professor of Indigenous Governance at the University of Victoria. He’s the recipient of a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Studies, the award for best column writing by the Native American Journalists Association, and a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the field of Education.

Taiaiake has also worked as a land and governance researcher and advisor on cultural restoration projects to his own and many other First Nations governments and community organizations since 1987, and served as an infantryman in the US Marine Corps.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Concordia University and his MA and Ph.D. in comparative politics and political theory from Cornell University. He is also an author, having written Heeding the Voices of Our Ancestors, Peace, Power, Righteousness and Wasáse: Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom. He lives in Saanich, BC with his wife and three sons, who are all members of the Laksilyu Clan of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.

This visionary manifesto, first published in 1999, has significantly improved our understanding of First Nations' issues. Taiaiake Alfred calls for the indigenous peoples of North America to move beyond their 500-year history of pain, loss, and colonization, and move forward to the reality of self-determination. A leading Kanien'kehaka scholar and activist with intimate knowledge of both Native and Western traditions of thought, Alfred is uniquely placed to write this inspiring book. His account of the history and future of the indigenous peoples of North America is at once a bold and forceful critique of Indigenous leaders and politics, and a sensitive reflection on the traumas of colonization that shape our existence.

This new edition of Alfred's important manifesto is thoroughly updated in the context of current issues related to government policy and First Nations politics today. In addition to new examples of indigenous-state relations, it includes the latest court cases and updated evaluations of key negotiations over land and self-government. A new preface incorporates an original, previously unpublished dialogue with the influential Dakota author, historian, and activist Vine Deloria Jr, recorded shortly before his death in 2005.

The word Wasáse is the Kanienkeha (Mohawk) word for the ancient war dance ceremony of unity, strength, and commitment to action. The author notes, "This book traces the journey of those Indigenous people who have found a way to transcend the colonial identities which are the legacy of our history and live as Onkwehonwe, original people. It is dialogue and reflection on the process of transcending colonialism in a personal and collective sense: making meaningful change in our lives and transforming society by recreating our personalities, regenerating our cultures, and surging against forces that keep us bound to our colonial past."

Groundswell is a collection of stirring and passionate essays from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers that, together, present a compelling message about how traditional Indigenous knowledge and practices can—and must be—used to address climate change. The chapters eloquently interconnect, taking us from radical thinking to the gentleness of breath, demonstrating that we are all in this together, that we must understand what needs to be accomplished and participate in the care of Mother Earth.

Authors tap into religious and spiritual perspectives, explore the wisdom of youth, and share the insights of a nature-based philosophy. These collective writings give you a chance to contemplate and formulate your own direction. A moral revolution that can produce a groundswell of momentum toward a diverse society based on human rights, Indigenous rights, and the rights of Mother Earth.

Beautifully illustrated with photographs, Groundswell is augmented with video recordings from the authors and a short documentary film, available on the project’s website. Profits from the book will help support the videos, documentary, and future projects of The Call to Action for Climate Change. Visit www.envisionthebigpicture.com.

Reviews“The most important environmental development of the last decade is the full emergence and full recognition of the Native leadership at the very front of every fight. One of the things that makes that leadership so powerful is its deep roots in tradition and thought; this book gives the reader some sense of that tradition, though of course it is so vast that it would take a thousand such books to capture it all!”— Bill McKibben; Author Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

“This book shares Indigenous knowledge that can teach us to listen to and be in relationship to the Earth in a way that honors the sacredness and interdependence of all life forms. A paradigm shift, informed by Indigenous ways of knowing and acting, is crucial in this time of climate change.”— Laura Stivers; Author of Disrupting Homelessness: Alternative Christian Approaches

“Groundswell: Indigenous Knowledge and a Call to Action for Climate Change... is a powerful text that introduces a much-needed perspective on the issue of climate change. Much has been said and written on the topic of climate change from a purely logical perspective, which is essential, but Groundswell introduces an equally important perspective, that of the spiritual implications of climate change. From the perspective of Native people, we start to unravel the complex emotions when learning of the negative effects of climate change through an entirely different lens than the lens supplied to us through westernized education. There is an aspect of spiritual connection that Native people have when approaching the topic of climate change and the destructive and corrosive actions taken against our Earth. I hate to use the phrase “spiritual connection,” because spirituality has been wrongly stripped down to a non-science, when in reality, it is something that just cannot be defined by science. One’s spirit is only one way of saying, one’s being, essence, one’s present energy, or one’s connection to all that is, beyond thought and logic. It is the core of us all, and it is a feeling that connects us all, and in my opinion, uniquely respected and understood by Native people. This is one reason I believe Native people feel an obligation to protect this Earth, because we hold this truth close culturally. We and everything are one, and the destruction of our planet is also the destruction of ourselves. When reading the chapter “Rooted: Staying Grounded Amidst a Changing Landscape” by Nicole Neidhardt, Teka Everstz, and Gina Mowatt, I was moved by the presence of youth voices. As a young, Indigenous person myself I felt a great power, understanding, and nuance to the voices emerging in the chapter. The writers spoke of the complexities and the duality of living as an Indigenous person in western society that I have myself experienced. They also addressed the modern paradox of social media, in that in as many ways as it is bringing people together, in many ways it is tearing us apart and allowing for non-accountability in our society. It is rare to find a text that so genuinely sums up the issues of living as an Indigenous youth in western culture and our struggle of being heard when voicing our truths. I believe that this text, in the hands of other young people like the writers will be moved by it like I was. Nicole Neidhardt, Teka Everstz, and Gina Mowatt asked for more than a challenge of the reader’s ideology, they screamed out for a call to action." — Forrest Goodluck; Award-winning youth filmmaker, appears opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant

“Reading the reflections of three young Indigenous activists (Rooted: Staying Grounded Amidst a Changing Landscape) is special and something I’ve admittedly never experienced before. What I thought about while reading this was my own decades' long growing pains, not just in body, but rather identity. My own insecurities has led me down dark walkways toward depression and anxiety. For years—and still to this day—I am petrified of the inescapable uncertainty the universe’s laws present me. I had zero doubts about three Cosmic proclamations: death, taxes and thermodynamics. Their stories are a sharp, buoyant reminder of elation and advocacy in a world of overwhelming and seemingly unlimited power: colonialism, imperialism and industrial capitalism. These narratives bring me moral conviction and faith as we all walk hand-in-hand into our carbon wrought future.” —Kalen Goodluck; A freelance documentary photographer, photojournalist, and journalist

“Groundswell is about helping one another through the threat of death we experience on this increasingly traumatized planet—in the air, on the land and in the water—and nurturing it back to life. Neidhardt and his kindred spirits offer us new, yet familiar, resources for a creative participation in that gracious process. “New” for us who are not yet listening attentively to Indigenous instructions voiced in their “Older Testament.” “Familiar” insofar as we are given to see, truly see, our relatedness and belonging to all things, great and small, in this created world, our “common home” (Pope Francis). One message powerfully conveyed throughout this book is that planetary health is primary, whereas human well-being is derivative (Thomas Berry). This message turns the infamous “Doctrine of Discovery” upside down, inviting us, all of us together, into fresh discoveries of healing wisdom in ancient treasures still alive and well for us. Again, “together”: “A little trickle of water that goes alone goes crookedly” (Gbaya proverb). Together we may pray for vibrant faith and spiritual rootedness to yield justice: equilibrium throughout creation and among all people. Such faith is indeed a “renewable energy” (Larry Rasmussen)!” —Thomas G. Christensen; Author of An African Tree of Life

TABLE OF CONTENTSPreface Invocation: Using Contemplative Meditation to Foster Change Introduction: This Is the Moral RevolutionClimate Change Snapshots by Kristen Dey Rooted: Staying Grounded Amidst a Changing Landscape by Nicole Neidhardt, Teka Everstz, and Gina Mowatt What You Need to Know Is Not in a Book: Indigenous Education by Larry Emerson Illuminating the Path Forward by Erin Brillon Stories from Our Elders by Andy Everson Religions for the Earth by Karenna Gore How We Can Work Together by Merle Lefkoff Essential Elements of Change by Mary Hasbah Roessel The Radical Vision of Indigenous Resurgence by Taiaiake Alfred Sharing the Wealth: Bending Toward Justice by Rod Dobell The Commonwealth of Breath by David Abram Science, Spirituality, Justice by Larry Rasmussen The Moral Revolution, Weaving All the Parts by Joe NeidhardtAcknowledgements Further References Further Readings Contributors